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Tempe, Ariz. — Marquee Theatre buzzed with eager fans of all ages as BOYS LIKE GIRLS brought “The Soundtrack of Your Life Tour” to Tempe with I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME and Arrows in Action. Celebrating 20 years of their self-titled debut album and 17 years of Love Drunk, the night leaned into pop-rock nostalgia, full-room singalongs, and the kind of fan devotion that has followed the band across decades.
Arrows in Action frontman Victor Viramontes-Pattison skipped onto the stage to start the night with “Light Like You,” off their only-days-old release I Think I’ve Heard This Before. Royal purple light flooded the stage for their second song, “Over It,” to cheers and a visibly grooving crowd.
Viramontes-Pattison’s presence on stage mixed romance cover looks with a golden retriever energy. His hair fluttered, his hands animated while he maintained perfect vocal precision, matching their recorded tracks.
“Cheekbones” took us to places only we know, with drummer Jesse Frimmel shining a smile so pure it was clear from the dark, packed crowd as he hit the final beat.
The entire band was magnetic, engaging their fans at every moment of their performance. At the end, they held true to their Spotify bio; the members of Arrows in Action were “just happy to be here,” and their joy was palpable.
iDKHOW Bring Playful Theatrics and Retro Swagger to Tempe
The vibe shifted with the moody grooves of I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME, leading us into a jewel-lit sea of purples, teal, and gold. We swam through the eclectic discography of Dallon Weekes’ previously hidden act, which he began before he left Panic! at the Disco in 2017.
Weekes’ voice smoothly moves between soaring clean highs and sultry saunters, accompanying retro synth-laden jams with swooning guitars. The popular hit “Choke” was met with cheers and screams from the audience, and Weekes invited, “Oh, Arizona, won’t you please come and sit with me?”
During one song, Weekes draped the microphone cord casually above him, one arm behind his head, posing as the audience cheered in approval. “Leave Me Alone” had many playful moments. One member held his guitar low, mimicking a gun, and pretended to fire at the drummer, afterward tossing a pick at him. Another time, the guitarist attempted to balance his guitar on his head, but it eventually fell into his hands. While singing the lyric “A Brand New God,” the white spotlight rose and fell as purple pulsed.
In the final moments on stage, Weekes exclaimed, “Holy shit! It’s a real-life saxophone,” which cued a saxophonist to the front of the stage for a solo, the guitarist and bassist greeting him with face-offs. The music faded, and Weekes exited the stage, exaggeratedly swinging his arms.
Often a time for bathrooms or boredom, the wait between I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME and BOYS LIKE GIRLS was instead filled with fans singing along to a playlist centered on millennial nostalgia. The lyrics of “Everytime We Touch” by Cascada were sung by almost everyone in the venue. As gear moved and the stage was set, the crowd was bubbly, chatting, and friendly. The room carried some of the best energy I’ve experienced at a show.
BOYS LIKE GIRLS Prove They Are Still the Soundtrack of Fans’ Lives
Vintage CRT televisions lit up and rapidly flashed scenes of recognizable moments from the 2000s, and while there was audio, the words were lost in the roars of adoring fans greeting the members of BOYS LIKE GIRLS as they took their places on stage. A tambourine hung from frontman Martin Johnson’s neck like jewelry before he removed it to rhythmically bang against his hip, later he moved to maracas. On the third song, “She’s Got A Boyfriend Now” I noticed Jamel Hawke’s guitar and Gregory James’ bass and shoes were all matching in silver glitter.
Directly afterward, the mood calmed as Johnson played an acoustic guitar for “Two Is Better Than One,” a track off their 2009 release Love Drunk featuring Taylor Swift. “Someone Like You” off the same album, began with the television’s screen filled with static, Johnson pointing into the golden spotlight while speaking the lyric “Talking to someone up there.”
Johnson and James faced each other as they sang “Chemicals Collide”, the room full of energy, pumping arms and crowd surfing to the help drown from the Marquee’s security team. “Go” ended the set with soft, soulful vocals and fans emotionally swaying ’til the pick up. Hawke and James soloed together on one small platform. The song finished, they left the stage with the bright lights on like it was the end.
A countdown began on the TVs. I noticed when it was at 9:30, stagehands balled up and tossed the setlists off the stage, returning later with fresh ones. Calm and twinkling music played as the final adjustments to the stage were made. BOYS LIKE GIRLS returned for an epic encore of their 2006 debut release Boys Like Girls.
They played in album order, beginning with “The Great Escape,” their biggest hit, with the crowd louder than the band. “Five Minutes To Midnight” and “Hero/Heroine” continued the streak of the audience singing every word with their whole hearts, showing how accurate the tour name truly is.
Throughout the night, the side stage gradually filled with handpicked fans. During “Heels Over Head” Johnson’s team replaced his pick holder, only for him to find they were James’s bass guitar picks which lead to him saying something like “Fuck, these are Greg’s!” Throughout the rest of the night there were multiple moments of him forgetting, grabbing one, and throwing it to the floor.
During “Broken Man”, Johnson expressed his appreciation of years of support, stating, “Your voices have been the soundtrack of our lives for the last twenty-five years.”
The depth of the connection between BOYS LIKE GIRLS and their fans filled the room with genuine joy, deep love, and gratitude. The final goodbye of the night was the band giving their all in one more way. They tossed memory-soaked items from the stage, small tokens to be treasured from such an epic celebration. Boys may like girls, but we definitely love BOYS LIKE GIRLS.
Tempe, Ariz. — With triple-digit temps blazing outside, the best way to beat the Arizona heat is inside a venue blasting air conditioning and even louder music. The “Idobi Radio Summer School Tour,” proudly sponsored by Hot Topic, brought the heat in a different way on Sunday, July 27, at the Marquee Theatre. Doors opened early at 6 p.m. to make room for a stacked lineup featuring Rain City Drive, Charlotte Sands, Taylor Acorn, Beauty School Dropout , Arrows in Action, If Not For Me, and Huddy. As the tour continues its westbound run through mid-August, this Tempe stop felt like the perfect send-off to summer—one last electrifying night before the school year kicks in.
Huddy started the night with a burst of energy that set the tone for the rest of the show. Best known for his viral fame on TikTok and his role in co-founding the Hype House, Huddy (formerly LilHuddy) has steadily transitioned from influencer to full-fledged pop-punk performer. Far from just a social media personality, his set proved he’s serious about music.
Backed by a tight band and moody visuals, he ripped through a six-song set that included fan favorites like “Vendetta,” “All the Things I Hate About You,” and “The Eulogy of You and Me.” Tracks like “Partycrasher” and “Cyanide” kept the crowd moving, while “Fragile” offered a more emotional moment. Whether you knew him from the For You Page feed or not, by the end of his set, Huddy had everyone ready for more.
If Not For Me took the stage next and wasted no time unleashing their signature brand of high-intensity metalcore. Hailing from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the four-piece—Patrick Glover (vocalist), Hayden Calhoun (guitarist), Zac Allen (bassist), and Cody Frain (drummer)—brought raw power, tight musicianship, and undeniable stage presence.
Known for blending punishing breakdowns with catchy, anthemic choruses, they delivered an explosive set that turned casual listeners into instant fans. The band tore through six crushing tracks: “Demons,” “No Thanks to You,” “Alone,” “Say It to My Face,” “Blameless,” and “Feel Me Now.” Each song hit harder than the last, and by the end of their set, the crowd was alive and fully locked in.
Arrows in Action brought a vibrant shift in tone, blending feel-good alt-pop with emotional punch. Since forming at the University of Florida in 2017, the trio—Victor Viramontes-Pattison (vocalist/guitarist), Matthew Fowler (guitarist), and Jesse Frimmel (drummer)—has built a loyal following thanks to their infectious melodies and heart-on-sleeve lyricism. Though guitarist Fowler was absent in Tempe due to illness, frontman Viramontes-Pattison reassured the crowd with a smirk, “He’s sick in the hotel, not dead,” earning laughs and cheers.
Despite the lineup change, the band didn’t miss a beat. A beach ball bounced across the crowd as they played through a sunny yet emotionally rich set featuring “Feel It Again,” “Light Like You,” “Cheekbones,” and “Wide Eyes.” Tracks like “Empty Canvas” and “All The Ways I Could Die” showcased the band’s deeper side, while “Uncomfortably Numb” closed the set on a high. With or without a full lineup, Arrows in Action proved they know how to connect and keep the good vibes going.
The band will end their jam-packed year at the 2025 Vans Warped Tour in Orlando, Florida on November 15th. For more information on upcoming tour dates and to purchase tickets, visit the band’s website HERE.
Beauty School Dropout hit the stage with a kind of swagger. Formed in 2020 in Los Angeles, the trio—Cole “Colie” Hutzler (vocalist), Brent “Beepus” Burdett (bassist), and Bardo Novotny (guitarist/producer)—has been making waves ever since their early days. Backed by a heavy-hitting sound and an unfiltered attitude, their live set was a chaotic good time. “If you like mosh pits. If you like crowd surfing…” Hutzler teased the crowd with a grin, before laughing, “I see some scared faces.”
It was one of the most family-friendly pits of the night in the best way. Kids on their parents’ shoulders, outfitted in headphones, rocked out right alongside the longtime fans. The band’s setlist included high-energy bangers like “Fever,” “SEX APPEAL,” “FIGHT MODE,” and “A$$A$$IN,” with crowd favorites like “On Your Lips” and “WE MADE PLANS & GOD LAUGHED” keeping the energy alive. As the band exited the stage, the speakers cheekily played “Beauty School Dropout” from the film Grease, bringing their performance full circle.
Taylor Acorn lit up the stage with a firecracker set that had the crowd—especially the girls up front—jumping, screaming, and singing along to every word. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter has quickly become a standout in the pop-punk revival scene, thanks to her powerhouse vocals, emotionally raw lyrics, and a sound that hits somewhere between nostalgic and freshly fierce.
Known for viral hits like her 2022 breakout single “Psycho” (which has racked up over 11 million Spotify streams), Acorn brought a personal, heartfelt energy to the stage that clearly resonated with fans. The stage visuals added an extra layer of charm, two large video boards flashed her name with butterflies fluttering around, and skeleton hands throwing peace signs, hearts, and “I love you” signs punctuated her set with punk-rock flair. She shared that while she’s played in Arizona before, this was her first time performing in Tempe, and she “loved the city.” The love was mutual.
One of the night’s most anticipated moments came when Charlotte Sands joined her onstage for their collaborative track “Final Nail,” which the two originally recorded together—bringing their studio chemistry to life in a striking live duet.
Her set included fan favorites like “Hell of a Show,” “I Think I’m in Love,” and “Goodbye, Good Riddance,” along with deeper emotional cuts like “Burning House” and “Shapeshifting.” Acorn closed with “Psycho,” sending the crowd into one final singalong frenzy.
Charlotte Sands took the stage with a burst of bold energy—and her signature electric blue hair—to deliver one of the most emotionally charged sets of the night. Best known for her breakout 2020 single “Dress,” which went viral on TikTok, Sands has quickly carved out a space in the alt-pop/rock scene with her powerhouse vocals and deeply personal songwriting.
Her setlist hit hard from the start with “Tantrum” and “Bad Day,” and the energy never dipped. Songs like “pity,” “use me,” and “spite” showcased her ability to shift from vulnerable to defiant in a single breath.
Before performing “Alright,” Sands shared that she wrote the track during the COVID lockdown, when the world felt isolated and live music felt impossibly far away. She paused to reflect on how good it felt to be back in a room together again, then asked the crowd to light up the venue with their phone flashlights—a moment that turned intimate and unforgettable.
Rain City Drive closed out the night with a high-octane set that blended post-hardcore grit with anthemic rock melodies. Originally known as Slaves, the band has reinvented itself under a new name—inspired by Manchester, England, the “rainy city” where the five members first connected. Now fronted by The Voice runner-up Matt McAndrew, Rain City Drive has found a powerful new identity, releasing their self-titled album in 2022 on Thriller Records.
From the jump, the band commanded the room with “Lose My Composure” and “Over Me,” driving home why they’ve become a standout in the modern alt-rock scene. McAndrew’s vocals soared, and his playful banter kept the vibe loose: “If the crowd gets quiet,” he teased, “we’ll leave the stage.” No chance of that happening. The audience stayed loud through punchy performances of “Concrete Closure,” “Frozen,” and fan-favorite “Ride or Die,” which McAndrew shouted out as the band’s personal favorite.
Before launching into “Blood Runs Cold,” he rallied the room: “Let me hear you, Tempe. Make some noise, let’s pick it up!” They wrapped the night with the emotional “Talk to a Friend” and the hard-hitting “Medicate Me,” sending fans home sweaty, smiling, and fully satisfied.
Summer School Tour Leaves Tempe Fans Wanting More
As the final notes rang out and the house lights came up, one thing was clear; the “Idobi Radio Summer School Tour” delivered exactly what fans came for—high-energy sets, genre-spanning sounds, and a sense of connection that live music does best. From Huddy’s pop-punk punch to Rain City Drive’s emotionally charged closer, each artist brought something unique to the stage, creating a night that felt like both a celebration and a farewell to summer. This tour reminded everyone why we show up early, stay late, and scream every word. If the rest of the tour is anything like Tempe, then “Summer School” is a night that deserves a full house.
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Photographer: Mark Greenawalt
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